Frozen: Queen of Snow (and Ice)
by Infinite Number
Summary: Elsa seems alright, but deep down she struggles to live with herself and fights to overcome the fears she was indoctrinated with over 13 years of her life. When the consequences of her Eternal Winter catch up to her, she faces a potential relapse into the reclusive Princess she fought so hard to keep down. Writing style improves drastically in Ch 7; previous chapters may be redone!
1. Prologue

**A/N: To those who take offence to dialogue heavy writing styles: I switched to a far better style in Chapter 7. I hope you can bear with me until then.**

* * *

_Your sister? She returned from the mountain, weak and cold.  
_Had she? When?  
_I tried to save her, but it was too late!  
_What?  
_Her skin was ice…  
_No! No, she was such a warm person…  
_...her hair turned white.  
_Oh no… what have I done?  
_Your sister is dead, because of you.  
_No! After - after all this time… I still killed her?

Elsa awoke with a start, shaking in her bed. She blinked. And again.  
She was in her bed, in Arendelle, not on the frozen fjords outside. She sat up. Looked around. There were the manifestos she needed to sign by tomorrow's meeting. There was the umpteenth letter she'd received from Weselton to reinstate trade with them.  
In short, this was her room, her home. And it was covered in ice. Blinking back tears, she held her hand out to remove it all.

_Your sister is dead…_

"No!" Elsa shook her head, but she still saw her sister, frozen, having given her life to save her, one so undeserving of anyone's attention, much less the adoration she showered on her every day.  
"Love will thaw. _Love will thaw._" Elsa repeated her new mantra as she closed her eyes. It had been so long since that day, why couldn't she move on? The nightmares had been a daily occurrence at first. As the months went on, they grew less frequent, but they never left. When they did return, they would do so with a vengeance.

Like tonight.

Elsa shut her eyes tight. _Anna is alive and well. She's forgiven me. I don't know how, but she's forgiven me. She loves me. We're making up for lost time - the time _I_ took from her. We're happy! We're finally happy! What's wrong with me?_ She pictured Anna. Eventually, the image of her ice form faded, followed by more recent images. The funny stories that spilled out of her during nearly every conversation. The snowfights they'd had. The time Anna had "won". The fun they'd had with Olaf and Marshmallow. Anna's face as she waited on tenterhooks for her approval of Kristoff.

She opened her eyes. With a deep breath, she waved her arm and the ice broke apart and hovered in the air in the form of a large snowflake. Another wave and it dispersed into the air. But she could feel her night terrors returning. She knew she couldn't get any sleep like this. Slipping on a night gown, she left her room.

#####

There she was. Rolled up in her quilt and so messy. Elsa always loved to see Anna wake up in a rush and attempt to straighten her hair, and seeing the task ahead of her brought a smile to her lips.

Her hair wasn't white. At all. Even the remnant of her crime from their childhood had vanished without a trace.  
Her skin wasn't ice. Even in the dim moonlight, she could see Anna as she always was, and always should be.  
She wasn't weak. Even asleep, she would occasionally lash out at an invisible… something.  
She wasn't cold. She wasn't shivering. Neither was her breath visible.  
In short, she was perfectly fine. As Elsa knew she'd be.

She chastised herself for panicking, brushing away tears before they could form. She crept back to her room. When she arrived, she moved to close the door behind her before she stopped. She turned back, hand still on the knob. _Not anymore._ With a small nod to herself, she left the door slightly ajar, removed her gown and slipped back into bed. She would never be able to make amends with her, but she would keep trying, for the rest of their lives. She closed her eyes, desperate for some sleep.

_… __Because of you._

"I'm so sorry Anna…" The tears spilled down her cheeks as she sobbed herself to sleep, thus completing her routine.


	2. Letters, Breakfast and Ice

"Anna!" Elsa cried again. "Anna , _wake up!_"

It was morning. Elsa had woken up (on time, of course), had refreshed herself, had her breakfast and spoken to a few of her advisors regarding matters that she had been asked to resolve over the past few days. Then she had come straight upstairs.

Somehow, Anna was still asleep.

"Anna!"  
"Wait - wait, I'm up! I'm up!" Elsa waited a few seconds before she heard the sound of snoring. She slammed the door with her palm.  
"Sorry Elsa! What's the big fuss?"  
"Don't you remember what day it is?"  
"Deadline day?" Elsa heard the sound of feet dragging along the floor. "I already spoke to everyone - I thought I told you."  
"Yes."  
"Then - _ouch _- what's the deal? You're working today." Elsa frowned. Surely her memory couldn't be _that_ bad, could it?  
"Kristoff's been waiting for an hour - he says it's getting late."  
"_Kristoff?!_" That did the trick. There was a loud scuffle behind the door behind the door before Anna opened it, just enough to peek through. Elsa chose not to comment on what little she could see of her sister.  
"Why didn't you say something earlier?"  
"I tried Anna. I really, really did."  
"Oh. _Fine_. Just - just keep him busy! Make him an icecube or something, I'll be down in a bit!"  
"Okay. Just pick up a snack on your way down, at least."  
"I will!" Elsa doubted that. She chose to ask Gerda to have something delivered instead.

#####

She passed on the message to Kristoff, who frowned and slumped in his chair. "You know, I should probably just leave. It may teach her a lesson about tardiness."  
Elsa sat down across from him. "I think so too. But you won't, will you?"  
He flushed. "I… probably wouldn't."  
"Probably?" Elsa raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips as a servant approached her with a bundle of letters. She excused the man and began flipping through the pile.  
"Well, she keeps telling me she'll get better about it, and I keep believing her, and then it happens again - there she is!"

Elsa turned around to see Anna skipping down the stairs, almost falling at the last step. Once she got her balance she looked up and beamed, quickly running up to them. "Hey Elsa! Kristoff! And Olaf! How are you?" She ducked down to pat the snowman on the head who had until now been gazing at the suits of armour along the walls. "Are we ready to go Kristoff?"  
"Well, we are now." Anna blushed and mumbled an apology.  
"Did you have something to eat Anna?"  
"Yep!" She held her food in front of her before slipping it into her mouth.  
"Ch - chocolate?"  
"Uh huh. Told you I would."  
"Yes you did. Did you see Gerda on your way down?" Elsa had asked her to deliver something a bit more nutritious.  
"Yeah. I think she was helping herself to some breakfast. All those apples!" Elsa smiled to herself. Kristoff looked over at her.  
"Don't worry. I was gonna stop at the market anyway, I'll get her something there."  
"Thank you Kristoff. Now, Anna, promise me you'll be safe?"  
"Of course I will!"  
"I'll look after her Elsa!"  
"I'm sure you will Olaf. Have a nice day, all of you. Don't be late!"  
"'Course not! Bye Elsa!" And with that Anna skipped outside, Olaf on her heels.  
"Leaving on time would have helped," grumbled Kristoff, but he straightened up as he added "we'll be back soon, _Queen_ Elsa." The formal touch was no doubt for the sake of Kai, who had approached when Elsa's back was turned. He waited for Kristoff to leave before turning to her.

"Your Majesty? You're wanted."  
"Oh goodness. I'm not late, am I?" She looked at the clock.  
"No Your Majesty."  
"That's good. Tell them I'll be there shortly." She held up the pile of letters. Kai looked at them and his face betrayed his concern, though Elsa silently shushed him. When he left, she sat back down and looked at the letter that had alarmed him so. They both knew what it was, of course, although the messages would get more and more wordy with each one sent. Elsa gazed at the fiery symbol emblazoned on the front, wishing she didn't have to read it…

#####

"Not yet."  
"Please?"  
"Nope."  
"You still can't _trust my judgement_?"  
"No."  
"You think you're a bad idea for me?"  
"Actually, yes."  
"Don't be like that!"  
"Hey, I'm not complaining!"  
"There we go! So…"  
"Still no."  
"I'll wake up on time, I promise!"  
"How long are we just going to sit here?"

Kristoff had a point. They had been arguing in the sled for quite some time, to the point where Olaf had attempted to do Kristoff's work for him. Kristoff took over for him and started to slice the lake's surface up, ignoring Anna's pout and folded arms. Sure enough, her excitement overcame her and she gave in, jumping out of the sled and (somehow) making her way over to him. "So! What'cha doing?"  
"I'm cutting ice." He grunted as he pulled one block up.

"How much do you take?"  
"I usually keep going 'till I fill the sled."  
"And how many blocks is that?"  
Kristoff paused. "About 20? I've never really given it much thought, oddly enough."  
"And Sven's alright with that?"  
"He could do _a lot _more than twenty." He turned to his reindeer. "Isn't that right?"  
"_Sure could Kristoff! If only you weren't so puny or slow!_"  
"Anna!"  
"Sorry." Her giggling said otherwise. Kristoff chuckled and went back to work.  
"Why don't you just sell Elsa's ice? It's not like she'd ever run out."  
"Anna. Don't."  
"Why not? No one can hear us here."  
"I just… don't want to."  
"What's wrong with Elsa's ice? I'm sure she could make it melt if she wanted to, so you wouldn't lose your business or anything."  
"It's not that, Anna. It's just - _argh_." He moved another block to the sled and stretched.  
"It's just - what?"  
"No offence to Elsa, Anna, but… it felt like cheating."  
"What?"  
"You know, getting ice from her for free and just selling it. It feels wrong."  
"She wouldn't mind, Kristoff, I mea-"  
"_I_ would mind."  
"Oh."  
"Yeah. Sorry. I'd rather bust my back out here or higher up like everyone else. Makes me feel much better about myself. And besides, _this,_" He motioned to their surroundings, "is much more fun than just riding back and forth from the castle." He smiled sheepishly.  
"Oh Kristoff." Anna hugged him. "You really are one of the most amazing people I've ever known."  
"How many people do you know?"  
"Not many."


	3. Playtime

#####

"Yes to both."  
"And what of Weselton?"  
"Until the Duke improves his ethics? No."  
"His letters give the impression that you blame him for trying to kill you."  
"Yes they do." Elsa turned around and looked at Kai. "I've been sending him replies to the contrary every time he says that. I think he's trying to earn sympathy from the other nations."  
"That sounds… logical."  
Elsa sighed. "We all know what the Duke is like, but he raises a valid point. I've considered explaining myself to them but would they believe me?"  
"You've certainly earned the people's trust, Your Majesty."  
"Have I?" Their earlier discussions hung in the air between them, muting Kai's response. Fortunately, he didn't need to. A voice called out from the entrance of the castle. "Your Majesty!" Kai and Elsa turned to see an unassuming man calling to them. He seemed eager for an audience. Elsa looked at Kai who gently reminded her of the closeness of her next meeting. She sighed. They walked past the man and the guard accompanying him and he called out again. "Please, Queen Elsa! I need to speak to you!" She turned back. "I'm so sorry." She replied. "Please, may I see you this evening?" The man looked disappointed, but he nodded. The guard patted him on the shoulder and motioned for him to leave, but not before promising Elsa to take his name and details.

"Are you sure that's wise, my Queen?""  
"If this meeting weren't so important, I'd have seen him right away."  
"And you'd rather see him this evening?"  
"He's still a subject in need, Kai."  
"Of course. We're here." They stood in front of a large door, though which were a collection of representatives of various facets of Arendellian life. Elsa braced herself before thanking Kai and passing through.

#####

Kristoff almost wondered why he hadn't agreed to bring Anna on his trips before. People were far less likely to haggle prices if they saw that he was accompanied by the Princess of their realm. And she didn't even need to do anything. Partway through a discussion with a woman regarding the longevity of his produce ("It's ice, ma'am. How long it lasts is entirely up to you.") he looked up to see her sitting on the edge of his sled, dangling her legs while chatting to Olaf about - he strained his ears - flowers. _Again_?  
He reeled his mind back in when Anna glanced over with a smile and wave. He returned the gesture and his client also looked up. "Oh!" She immediately curtsied. "My lady! I - I didn't see you there! I'm so sorry!"  
"It's alright!" Anna called from her position. "I was just in your garden!" _Probably shouldn't have drawn attention to that…  
_"Oh. I - I hope you're well."  
"I am! How are you?"  
"I'm - I'm fine." She turned back to Kristoff, feeling light-headed. "On second thought sir, I feel I was being a bit harsh on you earlier. What was your asking price?"  
Kristoff grinned.

#####

"And there she is!" Anna jumped from the side of the sled and ran into Elsa's open arms, where the two dissolved into childish giggles. Kristoff waited for Olaf to scamper off before he walked Sven to the stables. "You gonna be okay for a bit buddy?"  
"_Yes!_"  
"Good. Now I'm just gonna go in and freshen up, 'kay?" He'd never have thought he'd say that, but that was before he began to court a Princess.  
"_Okay!_"  
"And then I'll be back to pick you up. Alright?"  
"_Alright!_"  
"Good boy."

#####

"So how was your first day with Kristoff?"  
"It was great! Could have been better though."  
"Really? Did he let you do anything?"  
"A little. I helped carry the ice to the sled!"  
"You wanted to cut the ice didn't you?"  
"Yeah."  
"Did you?"  
"Eventually."  
"And that's why you're upset?"  
"No. I wanted him to take me to the high up places - you know, where there's more ice to cut, mountains to climb and all the good stuff!"  
Elsa laughed. "All in good time Anna."  
"**Today** was a _good time_." She pouted. Chuckling, Elsa turned to Olaf. "And what about you?"  
"Today was good. We saw some new flowers today!"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, they were really nice! And Kristoff taught me more plant names!"  
"Good for you!"  
"Yeah! He's really smart!"  
Anna snorted, "For a few things."  
"Anna! Anyway, Olaf, do you want to wait outside? We'll be down in a bit; just need to get dressed."  
"Okay!" And off he went. The sisters stopped outside Anna's door.  
"And here's your stop, sis."  
"Yeah. This really gets stuffy in town." She tugged at her winter dress. "See you in a bit!"

Elsa smiled to herself as she moved to her room. She walked up to a mannequin next to her bed. Most mannequins she knew were used to hold up the prettiest dresses or suits people only wore for balls or meetings. This wasn't like "most mannequins". This one wore something much more valuable.

Her tattered coronation dress.

She pulled it off, removed her "queenly attire" and made the switch. She was about to feel at ease. She held out her arms and saw the familiar rosemaling appear at bottom of the dress. A white substance grew up from the hem, covering both sides of the messy tear that ran up to her knee, making it look elegant and intentional. Which it was. The ice grew over her bodice and along her arms, a few flurries of snow overtaking it and coating her hands, face and hair. Finally, she stretched her arms fully and took in a deep breath as a beautiful, long cape billowed from her back, and relaxed.

The real Elsa had finally come out to play.

#####

If only anyone had turned up, as Anna had put it. The sisters were standing in the familiar castle grounds. Once this place was full of encouraging faces, who had cheered when Elsa turned the ground to ice and had spent many hours simply gliding and pivoting around her. That number had gradually decreased until now she could only see a few families. Elsa looked to her right and saw Kristoff and Sven, the former meeting her gaze and shrugging. Someone tugged at her dress. Olaf.  
"Aren't you gonna do the magic?"  
"I was hoping some more people would turn up actually."  
"Shouldn't they already be here?"  
"They should…" She stepped forward. The few attendees gathered in anticipation as she smiled weakly and raised her foot. She knew where the people had gone, of course. She'd known almost immediately after the decline had started, which itself was about the time _the letters_ had started arriving. The ones tha -  
"Elsa?"  
"Wha- oh, sorry Anna. Sorry everyone!" She put her foot down, then raised it to try again.

_Sorry everyone. _She'd spent all her time as Queen trying to apologize to the people for her Winter and the 13 years of the King and Queen's support she'd robbed them of in her childhood. If it hadn't been for her, perhaps the Kingdom would be a bit more… _popular _with their neighbours. Those letters wouldn't have arrived at all…

She saw Anna out of the corner of her eye, worry on her face, so she quickly brought her foot down, phrases from those letters flashing in front of her eyes as she did so.  
_Abdicate!  
__We do not need an Ice Witch to rule us…  
__Arendelle needs a monarch she can trust…  
_She was brought out of her reverie by the sound of gasps. She looked up in shock.

She'd created an ice rink, yes, but not one that inspired confidence in her subjects. The surface was erratic - there were smooth areas here and there, but they were interrupted by small jags. The ice would normally mimic the patterns on the walls of the courtyard. Now it covered them in sharp spikes. Fortunately, they weren't the large ones her Coronation Ball had been witness too, but she still flushed at the sight. She turned to the people and mumbled an apology. The people glanced at each other before escorting their children to the safer patches. Elsa refrained from freezing the fountains or creating snow, just to be safe.  
"What's wrong Elsa?"  
"Hmm? Nothing."  
"Yeah right."  
"No, I - I mean it. I just had a busy day I guess."  
"Nowhere near as busy as last week, and you were fine then."  
"Anna, please don't."  
"Do you need any help?"  
"No. I promise. I'll be fine." _It's not like anyone will ever turn up after this.  
_Kristoff walked over to them, a hand on Sven. "Are you okay, Elsa?"  
"Yes! Do you want to skate with Anna?"  
"What?"  
"Yeah! I thought you were gonna teach me some new move!"  
"Anna, I'm sorry. I'm just… tired. I'm going in."  
"But-"  
"Just leave her be Anna."  
"Kristoff!"  
"Hey, we all need some quiet time every now and then. Go ahead Elsa." She smiled appreciatively at him, then looked around. No sign of the stranger. Of course not. She wondered if he had given his details to the guard, but doubted it. Those letters were right. Who _could _trust her? She went inside, making a mental note to thaw the ice from the balcony in an hour or two.

"She'll be alright Anna."  
"I hope so."  
"Like I said, we all need some quiet time."  
"Last time, _quiet time_ was 13 years, give or take."  
Kristoff had no answer to that.

#####

Elsa had immediately put the "real Elsa" away and collapsed on her bed. She stared skyward as her thoughts raced. She'd made a mistake. Again. In front of those people. It was a miracle that they'd stayed with her, but in the end, she'd betrayed them too. She was dimly aware of ice creeping along the walls. When it fully dawned on her, she bolted to her window and looked out. At least the courtyard hadn't erupted in spears. At times like this, she wished she'd never been born. Or at least, she had never let her troubles escalate so far.

When the sun began to set, the collection of people below began to file out, some slipping, but all eyeing the imperfections of her playground, which had only gotten worse over time. She moved to her office and stepped onto the balcony. Below, she could see Anna waving them off and apologizing on her behalf. She smiled to herself. She didn't deserve her. She could never deserve someone like her. "Anna!" She yelled, "Do you two want to come in for dinner?"  
"Have you got anything with carrots?"  
"Of course!" She tried not to smile at the sight of Kristoff stuttering, or his blush that was somehow visible from her position. But she didn't need to fight it once she tried to melt the ice.

Because she couldn't. She tried again and she still failed. She slumped against the railing and was only roused by Anna's loud voice from directly below her. She hadn't been lying about the stress of her meetings that day and decided some food would do her good.

Only it didn't. She still failed to melt the ice on her way to bed, even after repeating her mantra and she had resigned herself to trying again in the morning. She struggled through her nightmares, where Hans was joined by magic parchment and faceless men and women, as outside a massive spire of ice grew from the ground like a great tree...


	4. The Pillar

"Elsa! Elsa, wake up!" Elsa blinked herself awake to see Anna poring over her with a worried expression. Her drowsiness cleared immediately. "What's wrong?"  
"Your ice! Come on!" She pulled her up to a sitting position. Elsa fought with herself for a moment, before looking up. "What happened?"  
"Outside, in the courtyard. There's just this massive spike just sticking up in the middle of i!"  
"What?"  
"I'll show you." Anna gave Elsa time to slip on a nightgown before pulling her to a window in the corridor outside for a clear look.

She was right. A giant, ugly spire had risen from the ground. Smaller thorns jutted out of it at random intervals. It dwarfed everything in sight, except the castle itself. Elsa's mouth hung open. Her eyes scanned the ground below. A handful people were milling at the entrance to the courtyard, staring in fear and awe, while a few servants were desperately trying to chip the growth down. "Did - did anyone get hurt?"

"Doesn't seem like it. Apparently it just sprung up overnight. Kai told me everyone was freaking out and that I had to… talk to you." _More like talk me down_. Elsabit her lip as she peered back over at the scene. "I can't believe I did this." She muttered.  
"Well, maybe you just had a bad dream?"  
"Yes, but I've always had bad dreams. Did you ever see something like this outside your window growing up?"  
Anna thought for a moment. "When's the last time you had a bad dream after a busy day of Queen stuff?"  
For a moment, Elsa was tempted to tell her about the several times she'd gone to her room to watch her sleep. That moment passed and she shrugged. "You may be right. If no-one's been hurt, just head to the study and wait for me there."  
"What are you gonna do?"  
"I just need to get dressed before melt it down."  
"Oh, right. Of course. Sorry! Study it is then. See you!" She skipped off. Elsa waited for her to go before heading to the window again. _This has never happened to me before, _she thought to herself. _What's wrong with me?_ She had a sneaking suspicion but dispelled it immediately as a result of her desperation. She briskly walked back to her room to change into her outfit for the day.

She then half-ran to the study where Anna was already waiting, peering over the balcony before she turned to the sound of the door opening. "Oh, you're here."  
"Has anything happened? Has anyone said anything?" She walked over to peer down next to her.  
"Nope. There's still a few people who, I dunno, think you're practicing making Christmas Trees or something, but the guards are chasing them off. Like that one there!" Elsa looked across the year to where a soldier was herding a group of wide eyed youngsters onto the bridge. "Still no-one hurt?"  
"How? It's not exactly hard to see, is it? Stop being paranoid!" _If only it were that easy. _Elsa raised her hands and concentrated on the pillar.

Nothing happened. She exchanged puzzled glances with Anna before trying again. Still nothing. She furrowed her brow and her eye passed over the icy ground she'd failed to melt yesterday. She passed her hand over it and the ice flew into the air. Elsa released the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding as it flickered out of sight. That was some good news at least. But why wasn't the pillar moving? Anna placed her hand on her chin for a moment before speaking. "Maybe you could try from down there?"  
"What good would that do?"  
"Maybe you need to be closer?"  
"That's never been a problem before!"  
"Hey! I'm just trying to help! No need to shout!"  
"I'm not shouting…" Elsa mumbled as she looked back down, "but let's try it."

The sisters strode out into the yard and approached the base of the tree, closely followed by Kai who had been waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. Elsa looked back. The guards were doing a good job keeping the area clean, with the exception of a few determined individuals who thought they would be in for another show. Elsa tried placing her palms on the base of the spike. Flowery patterns danced underneath the ice directly in contact with her as she concentrated. Still nothing. Anna spoke up again.  
"What now?"  
"I - I don't know!"  
"Did anything like this happen when you were younger?"  
"Sometimes I broke something and - and a servant would have to break the ice down." She cringed at Anna's expression, one that flitted across her face whenever she was reminded that others had known her secret in the years they'd spent apart. "Well, the guards have been trying to chop this thing down since this morning- and look!- not even a scratch." Elsa took a deep breath as her theory swum to the forefront of her mind. "Maybe…"  
"Maybe what?"  
"Maybe…" But the thought faded. It was _her _fault - and _her _ice- and no fantasy could change that. She pressed her palm to the trunk of the pillar and closed her eyes to try again. _Love will thaw, Elsa. Anna is right here. Love will -_

"Your majesty?" They turned to see two guards marching a man towards them. Elsa frowned. What could they possibly want that would make them distract her from this?  
"May I help you?"  
"Sorry to disturb you Queen Elsa, but this man wanted to talk to you." He stepped aside, depriving the stranger of a hiding place. He bowed deeply. However, whereas most men would _remove_ their hats when they did so, he chose to firmly clamp his over his head with a hand. The resulting gesture looked as ridiculous as the Duke of Weselton's flimsy wig, although any humour in the situation was immediately defused when he looked up.

It wasn't _a _stranger. It was _the _stranger. From the day before. The man looked her directly in the eye and spoke.

"I know why you can't melt this ice Your Majesty."  
"Why? And - and how?"  
"Queen Elsa, I beg you, please grant me a private audience."


	5. Áno

Elsa blinked. The guard who had spoken before was doing so again. "How dare you act so familiar with the Queen?"  
"I'm sorry, sir, but I simply asked the Queen for a reasonable request."  
"Reasonable is it? We-" The guard stopped when Elsa raised her hand, "What do you mean by _reasonable_?"  
"Forgive me for acting so _familiar _to you," the man spared a glance at the guard who looked back indignantly, "but surely you'd understand more than anyone the need to discuss something like this in private?" He certainly had a point. Elsa had had to live out her entire childhood in secrecy after all. She looked over to Kai, who was looking at the man with narrowed eyes. "I would like to escort this man to the study and speak to him there." Kai bowed.  
"I will ask the servants to give you some privacy."  
"You can't be serious Mr. Kai! You're letting a stranger-"  
"Ice powers! Hello?" Anna pointed at the spike that had caused the commotion. The guard's argument died in his throat. He merely looked at each of them in turn (with a suspicious scowl for the man) and returned to his position with his friend. Kai took his leave and the discussion moved back into the building.

Although Anna was eventually left out, much to her chagrin when her sister stopped her in the doorway of her office. "No fair! You can trust me!"  
"If it were up to me, I would Anna." Elsa was standing inside the room, her hand on the door. The man was already inside, looking at the sisters with a bemused expression. Anna picked up on it. "Look at him! You don't have a problem with me being here do you?  
"N- not at all, Your Highness."  
"See?"  
"You're scaring him Anna. Just- go away." That sounded too familiar to both of them and when their eyes met, they knew the feeling was mutual. They each mumbled their apologies but Anna stopped Elsa closing the door with her foot. "Could you at least tell me your name?" The man smiled.  
"My name is Áno." Anna rolled the name over in her tongue and that was the last he saw of her before Elsa closed the door.  
At first, there was an awkward silence. Áno coughed gently and held his hand out. "As I said, my name is Áno. I'm honoured to make your acquaintance." Elsa moved her hand halfway to his before she froze in shock.

_How could she touch him?_

She always made it a point to refrain from human contact, Anna being the sole exception. Even then, it was nearly always Anna who instigated their hugs ("A simple _handshake_? Pah!"). But how could she touch someone when she knew all it would take was a loud noise or a sudden comment before she froze them? What if something happened as her hand made its way down and her ice hit Áno in the head or heart? She cringed as she pulled her hand back, ashamed of herself as Áno shrugged and withdrew his own with a sad smile. _He probably thinks I see him as a lowly commoner or something._ "Áno, it's not what you think - it's just - I don't want to hurt you. I've been stressed for a few days and my powers can be unpredictable when that happens and - I'm sorry."

"I understand." He smiled warmly at her, but it only made her feel worse. _He's just putting on a brave face._ Determined to mend his impression of her, she asked him to talk about himself.  
"Are - are you sure Your Majesty?"  
"Yes. The ice can wait. Tell me who you are."  
"Oh. Um. Well, no-one's ever asked me that before…" He chuckled nervously. "Well, like I said, my name's Áno, I'm a labourer and I live on the outskirts of the city. Let's see… I was born and raised in Arendelle, but I spent most of my life in Weselton..."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. Oh, congratulations on dropping trade with them by the way The Duke definitely had it coming." Elsa couldn't help but chuckle, but stopped as soon as she saw that he had retreated into his shell. "Áno, you can talk to me."  
"I - I know, ma'am, but…" He looked back out at the ice, "I just wanted to talk to you about that, I mean, you're you - a Queen and I'm - I'm me, a commoner…" She didn't think it possible but he seemed to have shrunk further than he had been when the conversation started. She felt sorry for him and thought to herself before an idea dawned on her. "Would you be more comfortable if you weren't speaking to a Queen?"  
"Y - yes?" She smiled.  
"Would this help?" She simply moved her hands to her head, gently removed her crown and placed it on the desk to her side. Her smile widened along with Áno's eyes.  
"Yeah! I mean, yes it does, Your Majesty. A little bit."

#####

Anna sighed. The sight of a closed door flashed before her and the words "Go away Anna" echoed through her head. She had been childish and hadn't actually expected to be let into the "secret discussion", but the end of that conversation had brought back too many bad memories of closed doors and mumbled warnings. She shook her head to get them out. They were all in the past. There was no way any of those things would happen again. She glanced back at the door to Elsa's study. How she wondered what was going on in there…

#####

It seemed that removing her crown had helped Áno more than he had said it would. Although he didn't say too much and kept glancing back at the ice, he had managed to tell her how he'd gone about acquiring his trade, when he'd moved to Weselton and when he'd moved back. He refused to go into specifics, but Elsa was content with the information she'd managed to gleam from his speech and appearance. If he truly had been born in Arendelle, he would most likely have been born to one of the more distant tribes that occasionally traded in the markets. The few locations he'd mentioned from his past corroborated this theory, as did his accent and tanned skin, which was a faint version of those she'd come to associate with those people. No doubt Áno had begun to lose his after spending over half his life in the Dukedom. Although he was nervous, she had eventually managed to prompt him into asking a few questions of his own. She was amazed at finally finding someone with weaker people skills than her! But when the day began in earnest, she had to move the discussion onto more important matters.

"What did you mean about my ice?"  
"I'm sorry?"  
"My ice - the - the spike there. Why can't I get rid of it?" _Why would he even ask that? Unless…  
_"It isn't yours to remove." _Of course._ Elsa felt a strange flood of emotions inside her. _I'm not alone! Finally, someone who can understand what it's like to be me - someone who can help me! _An image of Anna flashed before her eyes but she dispelled it guiltily. Anna _could _keep her in check, yes, but if she could find someone who could help her to fully _control it…  
_"Who - whose is it?"

Áno looked out the window and peered into the courtyard below, as well as along the bridge. A few early birds had already entered and were currently gazing at the spire in awe. Any longer and the "accident" could very well become a "situation". He turned back to Elsa, looked at the crown beside them, then looked back. His hand moved to the cap on his head, which looked remarkably similar to the one Kristoff wore when leaving for the mountains and clashed horribly with his otherwise ordinary attire. He took a deep breath and pulled it off.

Kai, being as shrewd as he was, probably figured it out immediately. Elsa herself lacked the skills to pick up on the many hints (all too obvious, she admitted) in front of her all along. Áno's hair was on the long end of "average" and wild from being restrained, but what made her jaw drop was how his hair contrasted with his tanned skin and dark eyebrows.

Because it was a familiar platinum blonde.

#####

**A/N: ****Áno is pronounced "Ah-no"; think the "Ah" from Frozen!Anna and the "no" from "snow".  
****Don't forget to post a review, even if you hated this. I promise to take into account any criticism you may have.**


	6. A Stranger More Like Me

"You're... you can do it too?" Áno nodded sheepishly. "Your Majesty? May I suggest we remove the ice?"  
"What? Oh, yes, but how? Will you do it?"  
"Yes," he looked back down, "but can I ask you to take the credit for it?" Elsa understood immediately. He didn't want the public to know of him. Given what had happened to her, how could she blame him? She moved to the balcony, asking him to provide a signal. She looked down at the courtyard, and at the few people milling around, looking up at her. She put on a smile and waved to them, hoping they wouldn't be alarmed by the growth in front of them. She glanced back to see Áno preparing himself- the same way she did when she was nervous. "Are you ready?" He nodded. Elsa turned around and made a show of gracefully holding her arms out above the spike. When Áno whispered to her to do so, she raised her arms and the spike disappeared.

Or rather, it shattered. Elsa gasped as the pillar exploded into tiny fragments of ice that billowed outwards, carried by the wind. Áno rushed forward, wanting to see what he'd done before a self-preservation instinct kicked in causing him to try and brake, the net result being that he tripped over his own feet and collapsed beside her, head slamming against the balustrade. Elsa's eyes darted between him and the mess he'd caused, before realizing that there was no mess. Áno's method was a lot less- elegant- than hers, but it had worked. She smiled again, weakly this time, to the guards who had rushed out at the noise before pulling Áno indoors.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Yes, Your Majesty. I- ow!- I've got a thick skull." Elsa smiled as one of Anna's stories sprang to her mind. "I'm- I'm sorry about that."  
"You don't have to apologize." She pulled him to his feet. "But please, tell me- more- about yourself." Áno ran his fingers through his hair and Elsa realized that he had pulled himself up to his full height. The change was quite remarkable; although he still looked skinny, he'd gone from being as tall as herself to almost as tall as Kristoff. When he spoke, he seemed a lot more sure of himself and didn't stutter nearly as much. Elsa privately wondered how _she'd_ changed since her coronation, and whether he'd needed to make himself some new clothes first.

Something he said brought her out of her reverie. "Say that again."  
"I'm sorry?"  
"I didn't quite catch that last part." Actually, she had. She just didn't want to believe it.  
"I... don't have anyone. At all."  
"Not a single friend? Not even- not even parents? Or a sister or brother?" He shook his head and she was again reminded of Anna and how lucky she was to have her.  
"That's why it's so easy for me to move between places and jobs," continued Áno, "either they're relieved to see me go, or they never knew me enough to notice when I stopped turning up."  
"That's terrible."  
"No," he somehow _laughed_, "what's terrible is the number of people who tried to chase me away; there are so many I made a list!" Elsa didn't know whether to laugh with him or console him, but her thoughts were distracted by the very real list he pulled from an inner pocket and waved in her face. She saw a series of names and dates written on it with a delicate hand. Áno put the list away as those pieces of information had time to sink in, specifically the first entries. "Áno," she breathed, "how old are you?"

He smiled sadly. "I think you know, Queen Elsa." How she hoped she was wrong.  
"And... why were some of those names ticked off?" Áno pulled out the list and read through it himself.  
"Oh, they're people I managed to meet in later life. You know, people I hoped would give me a second chance."  
"And did they?"  
"Eh." He shrugged and pointed to one name, Henrik. "I met _him_ two years ago in Weselton. He's probably the closest thing I have to a friend. And _this_ one," he pointed at another name, "I met on the night of your coronation, in fact."  
"Oh. Did he accept you?"  
"We nearly came to blows about it, but I came out on top. I'd like to meet this guy though: Soren? I heard he'd set up a business here somewhere..." Elsa was amazed, both by his need to remember all those names, but also by his near-complete nonchalance about the matter. There were so many names, and he didn't have anyone to keep him safe or hidden, whatever their intentions. She wanted to try a different tack and learn something about their shared gift/ curse.

"How did you keep your powers hidden?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"H- what did you do to hide them? Were you ever taught to say something over and over to, I dunno, calm yourself down?"  
"No."  
"Did you ever need to, you know, wear gloves? I did."  
"I didn't, no."  
"Then how? How did you control them?"  
"I... I don't know. When I got older I just stopped freezing things whenever I was scared. I don't think I ever actually sat down and asked myself why." _What? _Elsa's mind raced. _I had some control over mine as a child, but mother and father... did _they _make things worse?_ Not for the first time, she wondered what would have happened if she hadn't hurt Anna that day.

"What did you want to ask me yesterday?"  
"The same thing I want to ask you now." Áno took a deep breath. "I wanted you to... make an announcement. About me."  
"What?"  
"The kingdom trusts you. If you could, I dunno, tell them you're not the only one, that I exist and I'm not a threat, maybe they could trust me too."  
"It's like you're asking for a pardon for a crime you didn't commit."  
"I know. But you understand, don't you?" She looked at his face, and his expression of longing. Of course she did.  
"But Áno, most of them are scared of me."  
"I may not spend much time among the people Your Majesty, but I've heard enough to know that's not the case."  
"Really?" She highly doubted that, but appreciated the sentiment. When Áno nodded, she smiled anyway. "I'll be making a public announcement in little over a week, did you know that?"  
"Yes."  
"If you'd like to come for that, I'll introduce you then."  
"Thank you my Queen. But I have one other request..." He blushed slightly.

"Could you teach me?"  
"What?"  
"I can't make people happy with my powers like you can."  
"What do you mean?"  
"You can turn the ground into a playground and turn fountains into sculptures, I... All I can do is throw spikes everywhere." He motioned to the courtyard. "That was supposed to be a tree."  
"Really?"  
"Yes. Yesterday's guard wasn't very pleasant. I thought I could, I don't know, sneak in and leave _something_ to guarantee an audience with you." He shrugged again. "I'm really sorry. I must have caused quite a hassle for you, and I certainly didn't help right now either..."  
But how could Elsa possibly hold any of that against him? "It's nothing I can't handle Áno." They heard the sound of footsteps approaching, then a familiar knock.

"Elsa! How long are you gonna be in there? Kai's coming up with a guard!"  
"Just hold them off for a bit Anna!" Elsa looked at the time. "I'm sorry, but she's right. It's getting quite late."  
"I understand. Will I be escorted out?"  
"Yes, but you don't have to go just yet- would you like to stay for breakfast?"  
Áno shook his head nervously. "Don't worry about who you are Áno, no-one will judge you." _Besides, you'd certainly make Kristoff feel more comfortable._  
"I thank you for the offer Your Majesty, but my tastes are a bit simpler than yours. And more specific."  
"We serve carrots?" Anna slammed the door again ("Elsa! Hurry up!"). Áno simply smiled as he slipped his cap back on, covering every strand of his fair hair. "You can tell her if you like Queen Elsa. She must have been quite helpful to you over the years." Elsa tried to mask her shock at hearing those words. _He doesn't know about me! Shouldn't I tell him?_

But her nerve failed her and she instead asked him for his address. Once she calmed him down by saying she would never give the information to a servant, he acquiesced. As she walked over to the door:  
"It was nice meeting you Elsa." Her hand stopped on the doorknob as she looked at him, her surprise mirrored on his own face as he quickly corrected himself. "Queen Elsa. Forgive me." She gave him a small smile and opened the door. "Anna! Calm down!" Anna, who until now had been looking down the hallway, turned to her sister and her face immediately split into a huge grin. It took until the sound of further footsteps reached them for Elsa to yelp, turn, grab her crown and return it to her head.

Once Áno had been taken away, having return to his defensive, quiet self who quietly bid the sisters farewell, Anna turned to her. "Who was that?"  
"Just a friend. Let's just eat, okay? Is Kristoff here?"  
"Yeah. Did you invite _him_? Áno, right?"  
"Yes, but he refused."  
"That's a shame. I'll meet you in the hall, okay? They've got chocolate!"


	7. A Broken Promise

_It was a quaint home, built of wood. The furniture was old, but the owner never once considered replacing anything. Why would he need to? He was often at work and would be too tired to notice the groan of his bed, or the dust on the long abandoned vase in the corner. Perhaps if he'd ever had guests, but that would never happen. Or so he thought._

_"Yes, you can just sit there, that's right. I'm fine here." He sat in the older chair of the bunch, which creaked under his weight. "Now can I get you anything? Water? It is clean, don't worry about that - oh, not thirsty?"_  
_"Please, I'm really not in the mood for anything like that right now."_  
_"What's wrong?"_  
_"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise."_  
_"I understand."_  
_"Do you? You don't know what happened out there."_  
_"Then tell me."_

#####

Elsa's day had started well enough. Anna had somehow kept her promise of getting up on time and had even had the cheek to climb onto her bed, like when they were children, to let her know (not that she held it against her). She'd managed to extricate herself long enough to get changed and had shared a breakfast with her and Kristoff before they headed out for another day on the ice. Anna was as bubbly as ever as she eagerly announced that he had finally agreed (_"Given in" was more likely_, thought Elsa) to her requests to go to a more distant site for harvesting and warned her that she'd be a bit late coming home. Elsa had smiled, wished her the best of luck and to stay safe before waving them off.

She had picked up a pile of letters on her way back to her room. Most of them were relatively straightforward notes that had been passed on from various guilds regarding funding, or reminders to speak to trade partners about this or that. There was a letter from Weselton regarding the lack of trade between them (again) only this time it was joined by a letter from a neighboring country, curious as to why she would refuse business with such a valuable ally. She frowned before realizing her own letters would still be onboard various ships, or in the pouches of various couriers. A handful contained messages from well-wishers. She scoffed as she read them, the scepticism a result of the fact that they all came from kingdoms that had either already approached her for trade or were about to, not to mention the fact that each was written by a "highly eligible" Prince or a young monarch like herself. The final three bore no names although the seals were far too familiar to her. Blazing suns. Why _three_? For a moment all she could do was stare but she quickly resolved herself and tore the first envelope open.

The next few hours were spent in meetings, where she bore witness to petty arguments between guild representatives and her own arguments. She kept track of every word said, of course, in case she needed to voice her opinion or interject if the men and women around her got too heated. It was in this room that she learnt most about people; how they would alter their body language or mannerisms when pleading a case, or the way they could deflect blows to themselves by raising a completely different topic and diverting the conversation altogether, or how they would sometimes simply play dumb when cornered. There were a few valid issues raised every now and then and the people in this room weren't necessarily _bad_ (merely misguided) but she would usually just wait them out.

After lunch, she was given the opportunity to wander the castle freely (or as freely as a Queen can be). Fortunately Olaf had declined Kristoff's offer and had decided to tag along with her and she relished the company. It was such a joy to simply relax and listen to him speak of the world outside with none of the hardness or mistrust that she had accumulated over the years. She didn't even have to say anything; he spoke enough for the two of them. For instance, when Elsa visited the inner gardens he had forged straight for the ducklings Anna had "adopted" and had recited everything Anna had taught him about them. Most of those things were either misconceptions or outright fiction, but Elsa was content to just lean against a tree and watch, laughing as he tried to chase the birds down.

But she had spent 13 years inside the castle, and nowhere near enough time outside. Once the ducklings had had enough (as far as she could tell), she had recalled him and they had walked to the courtyard. Despite the incident with Áno, people were still milling around. Some children were splashing each other from water in the fountains, while others tossed bread crumbs to the pigeons that eagerly chased after them. Parents milled together chatting and occasionally chastising the over excited child or comforting the hurt one. Elsa turned to go in before noticing Olaf was absent, although her panic was short-lived as she turned to see him waddling over to a heavily built man who had been gazing up at the castle. The man turned, beamed and sank to his knee. Clearly he and Olaf were friends.

"Hello my little friend!"  
"Hello Raf! How are you?"  
"I'm doing splendidly. I haven't seen you lately."  
"I've just been trying out some new things. I went with Anna to cut some ice last week!"  
"Really? And how was that?"  
"I didn't really do much, but it was fun."  
"Have you been since?"  
"She went today, but I wanted to stay here with Elsa - oh, there she is! Hi Elsa!" When Elsa came over, she quickly introduced her to Raphael. She smiled and gave him a quick nod, the latter of which he returned. Raphael appeared much stronger up close. He was far taller than anyone she'd ever met, and while he was very large she couldn't see an inch of fat. "Hello sir. I'm glad to see you and Olaf are such good friends." Raphael nodded again. "We met a while ago," he began, "my daughter is quite fond of him." Saying so, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a thin strip of purple cloth. He bent down and held it in front of the snowman. "This is from Penelope Olaf."  
"Oh. What is it?"  
"She said it was a scarf and that it would look good on you. May I put it on?" Olaf simply exposed his neck (such as it was) to the man, who tied the scarf around it. Olaf looked down at it and smiled. "It does look good on me! What do you think Elsa?"  
"I think it looks good too, Olaf. I think it would look very nice with one of your hats." She turned to Raphael, whose smile died when he noticed. "Thank you sir. And your daughter too." He gave her a curt nod and turned up his collar. Ignoring her stunned look (or maybe he just chose not to say anything) he left.

#####

_"That was the first time you met?"_  
_"Yes. I should have known it wasn't going to end well."_  
_"Keep going."_

#####

The afternoon brought more meetings, of a sort. Her father had originally instated a policy that allowed any entrepreneur or person in great trouble the chance to seek an audience with him. It was one of the policies abolished as a result of closing the gates due to Elsa's powers and as such was one of the few royal duties she threw herself into heart, body and soul. That didn't necessarily mean she enjoyed it though. On one hand, most of the people she spoke to had genuine concerns, unlike the officials of the morning, but she usually needed a few minutes at the end of each session to choke down tears. Some people were new to Arendelle, or simply unlucky, and needed her blessing to set up their businesses. Like Mr Magnar.

"Let me tell you Queen Elsa, that these are the finest silks you'll ever see. I've struggled so much to perfect my methods but I've been unable to find even a single opening in the market. I humbly request your aid." From a distance, he appeared to be the typical bumbling catastrophe, bald and plump and prone to bursting into sweat at the drop of a hat. Then again, so did Kai (minus the sweat) and he was one of the shrewdest men she knew. Anna looked nothing short of perfect (or so she was often told) yet she had run home the day before dripping salt water. Once he had started talking though, Elsa had seen the sharp eyes and the trained hands of an intellectual and an expert craftsman.

"The tailor Henrik makes the same claim sir," she replied, "what would you say to that?"  
"Ah, I would say that I respect Henrik and his sons, but I would criticize his narrow-mindedness, for he knows only the techniques that have been handed down to him. His clothes are very nice, but he lacks my knowledge."  
"And what knowledge is that?"  
"I have traveled the lands, my Lady. I have seen and learned so much on top of the teachings of my own dear mother, who had done the same before me."  
"And what countries would those be?"  
"Many, my Queen. Why, I recently spoke to the most extraordinary woman in the Southern Isles and - oh dear." He cringed and looked up at her. "Forgive me, Your Majesty."  
Elsa merely brushed him off. "I bear no ill will towards a country on account of the actions of an ambassador, whatever his status before or after the act. I have heard that Henrik is feeling the strain of being one of the few silk weavers of the country. Are you able to wait a week?"  
"Yes Your Majesty."  
"Then if you would be so kind as to return here and ask for the Guildsman Lae," she waited for the weaver to mouth the name to himself, "I will by then have arranged for you to receive appropriate funding and a location from which to sell your wares. Kai?" She turned to the Royal Handler beside her who recited the note he had just made on his roll of parchment. "_Soren Magnar is to receive an investment for the acquisition of the relevant equipment and premises for a silkweaver in a week's time. _Will that be all sir?"  
"Yes sir, ma'am."  
"But before you go, have you ever had a business here before?"  
"N-no Your Majesty. Did I not say at the beginning of my hearing that this is my first venture in Arendelle?" He looked at Kai who merely shrugged.  
Elsa cringed and tried to appease him. "I meant to say, have you apprenticed here before?"  
"Oh," it appeared to have worked, "no, my Lady. Although I _have_ apprenticed in my home country if that's an issue."  
"Not at all. I simply seem to remember your name from somewhere is all. Your father?"  
"My father is not of Arendelle Queen Elsa. Could you perhaps be referring to my middle name? My mother gave it to me and she lived here for most of her life."  
"No. I'm sorry for the confusion. Have a good day."

#####

_A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. The man opened it to reveal a courier. "Is this the residence of Mr. Foreldreløs?"  
"That's me. May I take the package?"  
"Indeed sir. Have a nice day." The man took one look at the parcel before scribbling a note on the cover dropping it onto a table.  
"That's not your name."  
He looked across at his guest as he returned to his seat, lowering himself slowly to reduce the noise it made. "No, but I feel my real name causes undue tension."  
"If you say so..." The story continued._

#####

The evening was supposed to be the best part of Elsa's day, although she felt nervous. She couldn't forget what happened during her last "session" with the people and had given up hope that any would return, until Olaf had excitedly pointed to her window. There, assembled below were more people than she had seen in weeks! She had been happy at first and her smile widened when she recognized some of the people assembled below, like the man with a penchant for twirling his hat! The man who had had the nerve to ask her for a drink (which she had declined, to Anna's chagrin)! Olaf had happily pointed out Raphael, while lamenting that he hadn't brought his daughter with him and wondering who he'd come with instead. But this was why she was wary. She always felt bad after an incident and she felt the timing for a boom in attendance couldn't be worse. Her feelings had been reflected in the trouble she'd had in assembling her ice dress, although she'd persevered and joined Olaf on his way down the stairs, desperate to catch some of the excitement he was oozing.

She had stepped out into the center of the courtyard as usual and waited for the people to crowd around her and Olaf. She repeated her phrase to signal the beginning of the evening's fun: "Are you ready?" But she was greeted with far fewer smiles than she'd expected; even fewer than the week before. In her moment of hesitation she heard a brief scuffle directly in front of her as three men broke through the crowd, with more behind them.

The man on her left was old, tall, skinny and wore spectacles. If he hadn't been scowling, she could tell he might have looked very much the father figure. The man on her left was also old, but otherwise the complete opposite: short, slightly fat and probably never lost _his_ scowl, dressed in rich clothes while his opposite wore a simple attire. The man in the middle dwarfed both in height and bulk. His red shirt with its upturned collar clashed with her own icy blue attire.

Raphael held his arms out to the crowd before speaking to her. "I think we are, _Ice Witch_."

* * *

**A/N: Internet cookie to whoever can identify Raphael and his cronies :) Also, I'm trying a less dialogue heavy writing style and it feels good for me. A commenter on reddit agreed with it as well. If you preferred the old style or want me to stick to the new one, please let me know.**


	8. Raphael

Something had seemed off to Anna when she and Kristoff were walking in the streets. What was it? She looked closely at the people surrounding her again. She knew that woman; she was at Elsa's "parties" almost every week, the thought reminding her with a jolt that she had probably missed it. She hadn't expected time to fly by so quickly! And there was a boy, jacket curled up in his hand, the other tightly gripping his mother's. She wondered what had happened to alarm him so. There was something she was missing. Something really, really obvious. She was shocked from her reverie by the loud sound of Kristoff's voice, "I got you this; you hungry?" It was a small ice cream. She accepted it, not willing to admit that her meals hadn't been enough to cover her day of exertion. _Food was probably the problem_, she thought to herself. _Everyone's really tired at this time of day. They'll all be fine once they have their dinner._

She made the mistake of looking over at the first woman again. And it dawned on her.

They were all looking at _her_.

But why? She was clumsy and had caused a bit of damage in her time on the streets, but she hadn't done enough to earn the town's animosity, had she? Actually, she probably had. But the people would be angry or, if her status as a Princess was too daunting, wary or grumpy at least.

Not scared.

One explanation forced itself to the forefront of her mind. She forced the ice cream into the hand of the now surprised boy and broke into a run, all fatigue forgotten.

#####

"My _Queen_," sneered Raphael, "have you not done enough damage to our country? Don't you think it's time to leave, before you set off another of your fabled winters?"  
"Why are you doing this?" Elsa had backed up due to the sheer power in his voice. The large number of men flanking him hadn't helped either. Out of the corners of her eye, she saw guards who were observing the commotion, ready to step in at a moment's notice. "Please leave."  
"Forgive me Your Majesty, but you were warned we would be here today."  
"What - what do you want?" A familiar sense of panic was rising up in her chest, making it hard to breath. She held her hands to her chest, lest her powers chose to lash out and hurt someone.  
"What _do _we want, my friends?" He turned to face the crowd, hands held high. He turned around at the single word that echoed from each member.  
"Abdication!" Raphael continued talking, a wicked grin reaching across his face as he looked down on her. "Do we want to be subject to the whims of a witch?"  
"No!" _Why was this happening?!  
_"Do we want a ruler who can toy with our lives with the flick of a hand?"  
"Please! I - I di - I haven't hurt any of you!"  
Raphael rounded on her. Behind him, she could see guards fighting their way through the crowd. "Are you really so narrow-minded Queen Elsa?" He snarled. He straightened up then looked directly at Olaf, who was clutching her dress, hiding behind her leg. "Tell your mistress where Penelope's mother is!" He barked.  
"She told me she didn't have one."  
"And did she tell you _when_ that change happened?"  
"No..." Elsa had a sneaking suspicion that only made her heart beat faster. She looked around, desperate for a way out.  
"What if I told you she died at the same time as Carsten's wife?" He motioned to the short bald man. "Or that she died alongside Stan's son?" The tall one. Elsa knew where he was going with this. A guard had finally managed to force his way through the mob. "What are you doing? Disperse! Now, or we will use force!"  
"On what charge sir?" Raphael drew himself up to his full height, dwarfing the guard.  
"Causing a disruption. Do any more and you will be imprisoned."  
"I am merely telling Your Queen the truth, and dispelling whatever illusions the inhabitants of this castle have wrapped themselves up in." He took a step back and held his arms wide again. "Queen Elsa, all these people died by your hand, by your first act as our monarch."

#####

Kristoff had asked her why she was so sure what the problem was. Surely there were a lot of reasons her people would be afraid, right? The fact that he had managed to raise an eyebrow while running at full speed impressed her enough to slow to a halt and ponder the question. Although she would never admit it, she had had misgivings about leaving Arendelle for the day. In fact, a part of her always panicked whenever she had to leave the castle. "I just have a bad feeling."  
"You should have a little faith Anna. Don't burden yourself with more than you need to." They had begun moving again, but at a brisk walk, which was much more manageable. She _wanted_ to believe that and her refusal to do so was filling her with an enormous amount of guilt. She couldn't think of a suitable answer so simply kept her head down and quickened her pace.

She wasn't sure why she had broken into a run soon after. It was some instinct, possibly a result of the fear that refused to leave her system. Kristoff seemed to understand, as he had wordlessly jogged after her, ignoring his aching muscles. It was when she looked up while they were on the bridge leading to the castle that Anna's suspicious nature was rewarded.

Although it wasn't much of a reward. It was only once they'd crossed the bridge and stopped in the entrance to the courtyard that what little disbelief they'd had vanished. She hadn't been late after all.

Ice. Giant, spiky barriers of ice erupted from the ground everywhere. The fountains were frozen, the water forming horrific shapes. Thick ice coated the floor and walls, the walls having their own spikes jutting from them. Guards were running like headless chickens, desperately trying to free those who had been trapped or pinned down and carrying those who - who - _no_.

She would have known where to go even without the castle doors still wide open. She would have known where to go even without the trail of ice leading the way. She would also have known that _the_ door would once again be locked.

#####

_My winter. I - I killed all those people.  
_"Your Majesty. Just give us the word and these men will be removed." Raphael and his cronies smiled smugly at her from behind the guard's back.  
_I wanted a way out. But not like this._  
"No - no need, sir. They haven't done anything wrong." _If I make them leave now, they'll win. Well, it's not like they were ever going to lose..._  
Carsten spoke up. "They were all weak innocents, Queen Elsa." His voice was slightly high-pitched. "Do you know what it's like to feel cold? We had no firewood, we didn't have time to buy warm clothes, the blizzard was far more intense than any natural winter so we couldn't go outside." Elsa hid her hands behind her back, no longer able to control the thin wafts of frosty air and snowflakes that fluttered from them. _Please don't push me. Just leave me be..._  
"I - There was funding for those who were affected..." The excuse was terrible and she knew it. Ice was beginning to spread from where she was standing.  
"Money?" Stan's turn "That's all you rich folk care about, isn't it? Is that what you did in that castle? Count how many gold bars you'd collected? We're talking about lives!" There was a cheer from the people behind him. The ice was now underneath all of them. _Please! Love will thaw, Elsa! Love will thaw!_  
"We want you to leave this kingdom before you damage it even more!" Echoes of approval. Desperate, Elsa looked back at the people who weren't protesting. They were a small bunch, but what made it worse was that not one of them spoke up. Almost as if he'd read her mind, Carsten cackled. "Why would they defend you? You let them skate? No sane person would value that over your murders." _Murders? They - they were, weren't they? _She tried to back away, her ice now crawling up the walls. _Please Elsa! Just think of the fjord! Love will thaw! Love - love will... _She looked around. Still, no-one had come to her defense beside Olaf, who stood in front of her but could do nothing else.

_Anna! Please, where are you?!_

"What do we want?" _Don't drag her into this Elsa. It's not her fault._  
"Abdication!" _It's not her fault you're a disaster and an utter failure._  
"Should we be subjected to the whims of this sorceress?" _But what I wouldn't give for her to be here right now. Anna! _She backed into a fountain.  
"No!" _She isn't going to be there for you forever, Elsa. _It froze over, just like it did on that night. The recognition knocked down the first of many dominoes. Spikes of ice began to emerge from the inner walls of the courtyard.

_Conceal, don't feel._

No-one was coming to save her. Olaf was looking up at her, worry etched on his face, but he was powerless against the mob. Her hands began to tremble as she struggled to control herself.

Olaf aside, there was no-one to defend her, not that she had anything to defend. The ice around her became uneven.

_Conceal it, don't feel it._

"What do we want?" Ignoring the ice coating them, Elsa held her head in her hands. Besides, if they froze her, all the better. _It's not working!_ She could clearly see the spikes growing from the earth like saplings.  
"Abdication!" It was too much. The rest of the dominoes collapsed.

"_Leave me be!_" A barrier of ice, just like the one she'd used to block Anna's advances erupted in front of her. Raphael smiled. _I've just made this far easier for him. _But the realization came too late. A second wall burst from the ground at the back of the mob, the closest members choosing to turn and run. Her powers seemed to have a mind of their own, erecting further walls to seal them off. The guards stood with their mouths open as further walls emerged, cutting them off from her. Some protesters had tried running for the sides of the courtyard. The spikes already present along the walls grew to meet them. Those that ducked into the archway had barely a second's rest before ice erupted from the ground, pinning them in place.

Raphael had a mad grin on his face as his voice boomed. "The Queen, when faced with her crimes, chooses to silence us instead of atone!" He turned to face her. "Will you kill me too? What about my daughter?"  
"No! Please. You - you win, okay? I can't control this. Please leave!" A scream from behind him. He turned to see Cartsen trapped by a far too small circle of spikes, clutching his arm in agony. He ran over to help. _I'm hurting them! I'm still hurting them! _She wanted to run away herself. She eyed the bridge, but stopped.

What if it began to snow again? What good did running away do last time? She again thought of Anna, whose heart had been frozen simply because she had wanted what she thought was best for her. Further screams and the sight of a man collapsed on the ground. Even the people who had simply come to skate were at risk. She stared at them with watering eyes as they too ran for their lives. It was a miracle her dress hadn't erupted into a mass of sharp edges with the emotions boiling within her.

She couldn't run _away_, but there was something she could do instead. She freed herself from Olaf's grip, turned and ran into the castle, all too aware that she was leaving a trail of ice in her wake. She knew the one person she cared for above all would already know where to find her anyway.

#####

Even the corridor leading up to her room had turned to ice, with spikes adorning the corners. She stood outside the door, took a deep breath, mist forming before her and knocked. "Elsa? I know you're in there." She already knew what the answer would be.  
"Go away Anna." It didn't hurt any less.  
"Just let me in."  
No answer.  
"Whatever happened today - just - _please_ don't - you can't spend another thirteen years like this."  
A long pause. Anna sighed, turning at the sound of Olaf waddling along the corridor to meet her. She gave him a sad smile but her head immediately whipped forward when Elsa answered.

"Yes I can."


	9. Guilt

"E-Elsa?" Anna couldn't believe her ears. "Please, you can't mean that."  
She heard Elsa take a deep, shaky breath. "You're right Anna." Anna dared to hope, but Elsa added to her statement. "13 years isn't enough."  
"Elsa! No!" Anna pressed her head against the door. "Just... talk to me. Please. I can help you."

She heard a strangled sob from her sister, and the _thud_ of her body slamming into the other side of the wooden barrier between them. Elsa stuttered many times before spitting the words out. "Anna... I - I killed so many people..."  
Anna was speechless for a moment, not helped by Olaf's defeated face staring up at her. "Wh - what do you mean? When? How?"  
"My coronation Anna! Remember?!" Anna cringed at the sudden venom in Elsa's voice, though she knew it wasn't directed at her. She tried to choose her next words carefully.  
"Elsa... we already knew about those people, remember? You already did everything you could for-"  
"Not them Anna!" Elsa seemed desperate. "Not the families we went to see back then. There were... _so many _more today. So many more people who _didn't_ forgive me. And why would they?!"

Anna had no answer to that. "Elsa, please. You can't beat yourself up over this."  
"Anna! I _killed _people! _Innocent_ people! This isn't like... destroying a roof or ship! I - _No one_ can fix this! And to think I felt so bad for trying to kill those guards..."  
"It wasn't your fault!" Anna pleaded.  
"They don't believe me and besides: that makes it worse! I can't be trusted anywhere near you - any of you!"

"You're always fine with us." This was Olaf, who had run his fingers along the door as he spoke. Anna couldn't help but bend down and stroke his head. Elsa merely whimpered. Anna stood up, wondering what to say, trying to fight the chill that had been sinking into her bones since her arrival in the corridor. She hugged herself as the feeling intensified, letting the little snowman continue the fight in her stead. Eventually, she let loose a shiver and a gasp.

Elsa honed in on the sound immediately. "Anna! You're cold! What- what did I do?!"  
Anna mentally chastised herself for the slip. "Elsa, it's nothing. Please."  
"No - Anna, see? This is exactly what I'm talking about! I - I froze the hallway, didn't I? That's all it takes! One bad day and - and I'm a danger to you all. Please, just go."

Anna couldn't bear to hear the self hatred in her voice. She bit her lip and thought for a moment, before steeling herself. "No."  
"Anna..."  
"No, Elsa. I'm not leaving this spot without you. Come on, dinner's gonna be ready in a few minutes, right? We can - we can go down a bit early. Get some food and - and we can _talk_. Please."  
"You don't understand Anna. I need to be alone right now. Just... _go_."  
"You don't _need _to be alone Elsa!" Anna stepped forward and placed a hand on the doorknob. "Just open up. Please."

Surprisingly, Elsa did so. She felt the knob turn underneath her fingers as the door opened slightly, enough for Anna to see a sliver of her sister's body. She regretted it immediately. Elsa's icy dress had evaporated, leaving her in rags, exposing her bare arm. Elsa shifted slightly, hiding it from view, so Anna's eyes moved up to her face. Elsa's eyes were red, tear stains coating her cheeks. Her braid had been torn apart, loose hair chaotically cascading over her face.

And Elsa simply looked so _tired_. As if she'd aged decades in the hours they'd been apart. Their eyes met, both pairs pleading with the other. Anna's turned away first as she sighed. "I'll be back Elsa. I promise." She walked away, Olaf reluctantly trailing behind after his own glance at his creator. Anna heard the door shut behind her, followed by the sound of a body sliding to the ground.

* * *

Elsa lost track of time as she sat there, legs pulled up, forehead resting against her knees. The breeze from her window danced along her skin, but instead of feeling refreshed from the sensation, all she could do was picture the faceless men, women and children who had died by her hand, or had lost crops, pets, beasts of burden, vehicles, equipment - she'd done all she could to remedy their pains, but she knew it'd never be enough. She looked up, at the ice coating her room and her furniture. She'd long since given up on thawing it. She was roused from her thoughts by a heavy knock against the door. It wasn't Anna.

"Elsa! Elsa? I know you're still awake." _Kristoff?_  
"What is it? Kristoff, please. Anna already tried, I j-"  
"That's why I'm here."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Sh- Anna's not eating."  
"What?"  
"There's no better way of explaining that Elsa. She won't eat until you do."  
"That's ridiculous! That's - that's just..." _Just like Anna. _Elsa's head crashed back onto her knees.  
"I know, but Elsa - please just come out. What good does sulking do right now?"

Elsa looked up for a moment. Anna would never have said something so abrasive. Then again, Anna wouldn't be capable of listening to what she was about to say next either - at least, not without posing a million questions or arguments along the way.  
"I'm leaving Kristoff."  
"You - you _what?!_ Now?"  
"No, not now. Just as soon as I can be sure I won't... set off another winter when I do."  
"And you're gonna what? Go back to the North Mountain? We'll find you, you know. We'll drag you back if we have to."  
Elsa felt a weak smile cross her face at the thought. "What if I don't go to the North Mountain?"  
Her eyes flickered to the huge open windows but she said nothing. But Kristoff seemed to understand, if the palm he'd slammed into the door was any indication.  
"And that happens to us? Do you think Anna would just... take over for you? Is that it?"  
Elsa swallowed before replying. "Yes. Kristoff... I... I've been planning this for a long time."  
"Really?"  
"Yes. The plan changed a few times over the years, but I always knew I'd have to... leave... someday. That's why I've been so adamant on giving Anna all those 'chores' she hates so much." The redhead's indignant face swam behind her eyelids. "I don't expect you to marry her Kristoff, but I want you to support her when the time comes. She- we _both _trust you, very much so. Can you promise me that?"  
She could hear Kristoff huffing as his hand retreated. "Of course not! I swear- I'll join the night watch if I have to, but I'm not letting you leave Anna again!"  
"But the people-"  
"But nothing! They'll learn that you won't hurt them ever again. Now, I'm being reasonable here, maybe you _should _lie low for a few days, _in the castle_. But - and I'm not even talking about Anna here - _I _couldn't bear to see you go, alright? Now come on. Anna says today's food is your favorite."

Elsa smiled at the notion that there was another person willing to say that to her, though her darker thoughts still lingered. She spoke, a bit louder this time, throat aching from the effort. "Tell Gerda to bring me some soup. I... I really don't have the energy to move. I'm sorry."  
On the other side of the door, Kristoff nodded. "Alright." He turned back as a thought occurred to him. "And Anna would make a terrible Queen."  
Elsa finally giggled. It was quiet and short-lived, but unmistakable. "You'd be surprised Kristoff. A lot of the changes around here came from her." Her tone darkened considerably as she added. "I'll hold you to that Kristoff: a few days."

* * *

The frost still stubbornly clung to her belongings, but Elsa had forced herself to her feet in the interim. A hand pressed to the wall, she was in the process of deciding whether to clear her desk or have her meal in bed when she heard the third knock on her door that night. She walked over on shaky legs to open it, only to be surprised by Anna, balancing a tray in her right hand. "Anna?"  
"Yeah. Did someone order soup?" The younger girl took one glance at her and her room before walking in and placing the tray on the bed, on top of a blanket she'd brought with her, before walking over to her sister, holding her wrists and guiding her over. Elsa let herself be pushed onto the soft mattress and Anna sat beside her, moving the tray to her lap.  
"Anna. Did you eat anything?"  
"Nope. Not hungry." She picked up a spoonful of soup, but Elsa held her hand.  
"Please Anna, go and eat."  
"Well, if I could trust you to not leave this on the floor and forget about it, I would. Now open up!" She wriggled her wrist and Elsa released her grip.  
"At least let me feed myself."  
"Nah!" Elsa beamed briefly at her sister's expression as she opened her mouth, marveling at the delicious taste. When Anna brought the spoon down to the bowl, she closed her hand over the handle, bringing it up to Anna's lips.  
"Elsa. that's for you!"  
"I won't have you starve for my sake. Say '_aah_'!"

They slowly went through the soup together, any notion of conversation having quickly been forgotten. Elsa's movements became mechanical (Open mouth. Swallow. Take spoon. Feed Anna. Return spoon. Repeat.) as her thoughts went back to the things that were said, the things she had done. She was roused from her reverie by the sight of Kristoff silently walking in with a second tray, carrying what was no doubt Anna's lunch, with two pairs of utensils. Anna gave him a thankful gaze, which he returned. His eyes flicked over to Elsa's, who was amazed that they conveyed such emotion to her- not as much as they did when looking at Anna, or course, but enough to make her feel warm inside. She mumbled her own thanks to him as he left. The sisters shared the second meal between them as well.

When it came time to sleep, Elsa let Anna tuck her in, but was surprised when she tossed her own blanket over her and sat down beside her. Elsa pushed herself up on her elbows to protest, before Anna wordlessly pushed her back down with a single hand, which began to pat her with a slow, gentle rhythm. Raphael's face flared in front of her eyes and she shuddered and, still with no words passed between them, Anna pulled her head onto her lap, the hand moving up to stroke her stray hair out of her face. Elsa looked up at a face of pure love before wrapping her arm around her sister's legs.

"Thank you."  
"Don't be silly Elsa. Now sleep."  
"I can't. It's all just... too much. I knew people had died and... I guess all this time I was hiding from that. I can't do that anymore."  
"Elsa. We'll work on it, okay? _Together_. Can you promise me that?"  
"I- I'll try." Anna beamed and tried to bend down, but couldn't do so properly. She squirmed and Elsa giggled at the sight before gently lifting her own head, letting Anna kiss her forehead, before bringing it back down.  
"That's all I ask Elsa. Get some rest, okay?"  
"What about you?"  
"I'll be right here."  
"You should go sleep. I'll be fine."  
"Nope. Today _I'm _gonna be the big sister, and I say _SLEEP_!"  
Elsa chuckled before tucking herself into her sister's side. Her warmth worked wonders against the faceless bodies and accusations swirling through her mind, but it still took a lot of time, and many fits of fidgeting before she could comply with her "big sister's" request. Finally though, the presence of her sister won, and she fell into a much needed sleep, Anna close behind her.


	10. Heal What Has Been Hurt

Elsa had kept her promise to Kristoff. After extricating herself from her sister in the early morning, she had asked Kai to oversee all of her appointments without her and locked herself in her study with her books and letters. The ice lingered outside, though her guards had worked tirelessly overnight and had finally toppled the more imposing structures she had created. Her fingers trembled at the thought of what she'd done.

Fortunately, Anna was on the right side of the door this time. She had immediately woken up alongside Elsa and had stuck to her like wax, following her to breakfast and was currently sitting beside her at her desk, calmly smiling across at her. When Elsa had betrayed her emotions, she'd silently tangled the fingers of her hand with Elsa's and gave them a gentle squeeze, meeting Elsa's gaze with a warm smile. Elsa immediately felt guilty for robbing her sister of her enjoyment. Anna was perfect, but even she couldn't hide the longing glances she'd occasionally thrown at the closed curtains of the room.

"Anna, we've been here for hours. Why don't you go outside and get some fresh air?"  
"I'm good, thanks."

Elsa flipped her hand over and returned Anna's grip.

* * *

Funnily enough, Anna had managed to convince Elsa to do the same soon after, so here she was, wandering the corridors like a ghost, hiding from all her servants as she did during her brief forays as a child. She didn't know what she was doing; she couldn't trust herself to go outside or into the gardens. She couldn't just "relax" or trust herself to speak with anyone, but she persevered for Anna's sake. After all, the poor girl needed to live her own life, not tend to her as if she were a child or a cripple.

"No... I _am _a cripple. I'm utterly useless."

Elsa was roused from her thoughts by the sound of a loud voice. She looked up and noticed she had somehow wandered over to the stairs leading down to the entrance to the courtyard. Servants were busy moving supplies inside and had thus left one of the large doors open, and it was through this door that the voice was emanating from. Apprehensive, yet curious, she crept down the stairwell, forcing smiles and nods at the two ladies carrying ingredients to the kitchens as she hid behind the closed door and peeked outside.

"...nearly lost an arm! And is that the worst? No!" It was Raphael, yelling at the crowd around him, seemingly drawing in more people with every passing word. When she saw the tall old man, Stan, turn in her direction she pulled herself back behind her cover, just noticing her deep breaths. She calmed herself and strained her ears further.

"I lost something as precious!" She heard him say. "Some_one_ I swore to protect, to live alongside through thick and thin." Elsa forced her eyes shut, well aware that her servants had already seen her. "_I lost my wife!_" Raphael was screaming now. "She... she was weak! Ever since she was young! She always struggled with winter, so to have one so intense arrive so quickly? She couldn't take it! She had a daughter!" There was a brief silence and Elsa dared to take another look. The man had taken what appeared to be a portrait from a pouch and was holding it to the crowd. "This _was _my family! _Was_. Penelope still asks me when her mother will be back from her sister's."

Elsa heard the trembles in his voice and saw the shaking of his shoulders before he turned his head slightly and she could see the tears streaming down his cheeks. She looked forward again and saw Gerda reaching out to her. She shrieked and jumped back, bringing her hands up to her chest. Gerda gave her a pained look she couldn't meet, so she simply ran back to her study, hoping against hope that Anna was still there.

* * *

As it turned out, she had never left - she had simply gone to sleep. Elsa bolted the door shut and sat beside her, struggling to control her breathing before resuming her work. Any notion she'd had of not disturbing her sister were dashed after a few minutes as Anna's elbow slipped and her head crashed into the wood. After brushing off Elsa's worries, she attacked with her own at the sight of Elsa's red eyes.

"Anna. Please. It's... nothing."  
"Stop lying Elsa." She looked at her sister's hands and her expression fell. She took a moment before continuing. "You said you'd try and talk to me."  
Elsa sighed, and held her head in her hands. She spoke from behind her fingers, her voice slightly muffled as a result. "I... overheard the... crowd from yesterday."  
"They're still there? Didn't they need to sleep?"  
Elsa shrugged. "They came in when I started work. They've been there since." She brought her head back up looked at her sister. "I don't know what I should do Anna."

She saw Anna chew her lip as her eyes flicked from left to right, deep in thought. "Has this happened before Elsa?"  
Elsa paused before shaking her head. "Not like this, no. But- but they have been sending me letters."  
Before Elsa could ask her to drop the subject, Anna spoke again. "Show me."  
"You shouldn't Anna. Please."  
"Elsa, no. I want to see them." Her expression was too fierce for Elsa to resist. She cringed as she drew herself up, walked to a series of shelves and drew a pile of emblazoned envelopes before walking back and dropping them over her work. "Those are the recent ones."  
"The _recent ones?_ How many did you get?"  
"Many more." She said no more and waited with bated breath as Anna picked up the first letter and began to read.

As soon as she finished, she tossed it to the ground and grabbed a second. Elsa found her breath failing her again as she saw her sister's scowl deepen with every sentence she completed, until she just threw the entire pile onto the floor, her expression demonic. "_Why would you keep them?!_" Elsa had never heard Anna talk like this. Her anger was enough that she instinctively leaned back in her seat. "I- I thought they would be useful. To keep track of what was said."  
"And _why _would you want that? Why don't you just... chase them out?"  
Elsa held her hands up defensively and tried to soothe the redhead down. "I can't Anna. They're not doing anything wrong."  
"Elsa- this... this is- how is this not wrong? They're not even bullying you; this is _worse_!"  
"Anna, please. I deserve it. I deserve more actually; for everything I've done."  
"That's ridiculous Elsa. It's bad enough that they've made you... go back to shutting everyone out and make you put those _stupid _gloves back on." She grabbed Elsa's wrist and held it up between them. Elsa tried to break free but failed. "Anna, please. The gloves help."  
"How?! They're just cloth!"  
"F-father told me they do."  
"He also told you to stop living for 13 years!"

As if on cue, ice erupted from beneath them, shaking their seats and the desk. Papers fell to the floor as Anna grabbed the desk to prevent herself from falling. The sisters looked at each other in shock for a tense moment. Elsa hugged herself, shaking with fear as her ice began to creep along the walls, a thin layer coating all it passed. Anna looked into her face and saw sheer terror. It took a moment to hear quiet words in the midst of Elsa's gasping.

"_The gloves will help_. Th-that's what he said. The gloves are supposed to help..." Elsa scrutinized the fabric, checking for tears or any imperfection that would explain her outburst. She was talking to herself, a manic expression taking over her features.  
"I'm-I'm sorry Elsa."  
"It's not your fault Anna."  
"Should- should I go? Give you some time alone?"  
"... I think that would be best."

* * *

It had been a week since the protests started, and the public opinion of her seemed unsalvageable. At Kai's request, and after an encouraging speech from Anna, she had returned to her throne, ready to listen to the woes and requests of her people, but no once came. Even in the hours without protests in the courtyard, people seemed too scared to approach the "witch". Elsa had made inquiries among her staff and had learned that they seemed to be receiving her audiences instead, so she was content with the thought that her people were still being looked after.

Of course, there were a few men and women who had chosen not to accept her aid. Among them was Soren, which upset her. Despite his clumsy appearance and tendency to pontificate, she had had high hopes for him. Now, he was simply a symbol, in her eyes, of the people who would never be able to trust her again. It reminded her that there was one promise that she had made a while ago - one she had no hope of keeping, but something she could make amends for. Despite the worried glances and pleas she'd received from Kai and Anna, that day she'd discarded her regal attire for a commoner's clothes and adorned a heavy cloak before slipping out of the servants' exit and headed for the outskirts of the town.

* * *

_"Wait, you didn't _sneak out, _did you?"  
"No, no. I let them know. They don't know _where_ I am though." Elsa gave Áno a shy smile. "I just wanted to let you know that... I don't think I can give you that pardon you were hoping for. I'm sorry."  
Áno brushed the apology aside, before tenting his fingers together. He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "I know this is probably the worst possible thing I can ask you, but what _exactly _did you do that night?"  
__"I don't understand. I told you: I hurt people. I nearly_ killed-_"_  
_"No! That's not what I meant, sorry! I meant, how did you... how did your powers manifest? Did they come from your hands or did ice just start growing of its own accord?"  
"I started freezing what I touched, but most of it was the latter."  
"What about the first time? Did you, I dunno, point at the sky when you made it snow or froze the fjord?"  
"No to the first question, and the fjord froze as I ran over it." Elsa felt her cheeks flush as the long-buried guilt and shame rose to the surface.  
__Áno closed his eyes again. __"How many people saw you freeze the fjord?"  
"Two people. Anna and..." Elsa bristled involuntarily. "Just Anna."  
__Áno nodded. Elsa saw his eyes dart behind their lids before he opened them and looked at her. "No plan is perfect, but..."  
_He completed the sentence in a clear voice, full of confidence. "You can blame me if you want."


	11. Bonds

"What?!"  
"Just give me a few days, two at most. I'll turn myself in and confess to all that stuff."

Elsa stared at Áno, who looked back with a perfectly composed expression. "Why would you say that?"  
"Because I'm used to getting rejected and mobbed and whatnot, and you're not. Besides," he motioned to the room, "a prison would be much nicer than this place."  
Elsa shook her head fiercely. "No! I won't let you!"  
Áno was just as defiant. "Your Majesty, your people need you more than a few merchants need me. Besides, I've been around since before your coronation, remember? People have seen me, even if they don't know my name or anything, so you don't need to worry about that. And on top of that," here he ripped his cap off, tossed it to the ground and flexed his palm. His hand froze over momentarily before the ice shattered (Elsa instinctively blinked when he did so), "it won't be hard to convince anyone, will it?" He ran his fingers through his strikingly blond hair.  
"Áno, think about this for a moment. Please." Elsa leaned forward, hands held together. "You'll be throwing your life away. You'll be imprisoned, and if not, you'll be forced out of the kingdom; and do you think anyone else will accept you?"  
Áno shrugged. "Of course not. That's why I'm so eager to go along with this. Queen Elsa, I don't want you to just let those people ruin your life."  
"As long as they don't harm anyone else, I'm fine."

They fell silent then, trapped in their individual memories. Elsa tugging at her gloves, praying that they wouldn't betray her again. Áno had shelved the parcel before picking up a basket and filling it with something alien to her, although it smelled delicious. Áno opened the back door and roused Elsa from her reverie.  
"Fancy a picnic, Your Majesty?"

* * *

Áno led her to a quiet clearing, a few minutes away from his humble abode, and stopped, giving Elsa time to look around. She did so, noting the tall trees, the scent of leaves and flowers and her eyes finally settled in front of her; it was an amazing, unblocked view of the fjord. The water sparkled as she saw ships, with colorful sails entering and leaving Arendelle's ports. She turned back to Áno, who was waiting expectantly. "This place is amazing." He smiled at her.  
"It certainly is. Very quiet too, which always surprises me; you'd think a lot of families would be eating out here." He rummaged in the basket for a small bag and Elsa frowned, peering over his shoulder at the other contents and seeing nothing edible. She was too late to hide her glance as Áno turned his head. Fortunately, he only chuckled. "Well, I should have warned you that I didn't bring anything for us. Unless..." he put the basket down, walked over to a tree and jumped up, snatching an apple from a branch. He handed it to Elsa. "I hope that's alright." Elsa simply nodded, curious.

Áno walked over to another, larger tree and unwrapped the bag, which Elsa now realized was a bundle of food. He backed up and whistled gently and waited. A few minutes later, she heard some burrowing and was amazed to see a little fox burrow its way out of the tree's giant roots. It walked forward slowly, before stopping at the food and sniffing at it. She saw Áno's face brighten as the cub began to eat and he bent down gently, running a hand over its head and along its back. He looked up at her.

"Queen Elsa, meet Copper. Isn't he just lovely?" The fox seemed to respond and tilted its head, nuzzling the young man's palm.

Elsa couldn't smile. Not after everything she'd done, everything she'd heard or said.

She tried anyway.

* * *

And thus began a strange friendship between the two. Elsa spent most of her time at the castle, with Anna at her side, struggling through her work. The two had made a silent agreement to not discuss Elsa's "accident" and Elsa noticed that Anna no longer frowned at the sight of her gloves, something she wasn't sure how she felt about. The main thing, in her opinion, was that they were together, and she was immensely relieved for the support.

One thing that weighed on her mind however, was that she had isolated Anna from Kristoff and Olaf, who neither sister spoke to outside of meal times as the snowman had taken to accompanying the ice harvester on all his trips; Kristoff himself now went up to the mountains more often, which appeared to be his coping mechanism for the loss of the company of his two friends, though he always made time to ask how Elsa was coping and how he could help.

The protests had died down for the most part, Raphael and his companions now leaving signs around the town, if Kristoff's reconnaissance work was to be trusted. Elsa had a sneaking suspicion as to where they'd gone, but chose not to share it; she couldn't trust Anna to not run off in the dead of night for her sake.

And once or twice every two weeks, when her workload was light and her meetings minimal, she'd let Anna spend time with Kristoff in the stables and met with Áno.

* * *

"I have a question Elsa." Áno looked at her. They were in Copper's Glade, as he affectionately called it, after yet another session of him trying to improve his craftsmanship. Elsa watched from afar, gloves on and never participating herself. She would occasionally give him some advice as he refused to accept that she didn't know _why_ she could form wholesome structures, that she just _did_.

"What is it Áno?"  
"I met Olaf yesterday. I was on the bridge leading up to the castle and saw him, so I thought I'd say hi."  
"Okay?"  
"And, erm, how is he alive?"  
Elsa blinked. She'd asked herself the same question numerous times, but had never found an answer. "I don't know. I just- Olaf is based on a snowman I made with Anna once, as a child. I just made him one night, a spur of the moment thing, I guess, and the next day he just walked into my castle." She forced a chuckle, aware that her description had been vague enough to completely obscure the true sequence of events.  
"Oh." Áno looked down. "Did you make more? I can't imagine he'd be happy, being the only living snowman in existence."  
"I made a second one, actually."  
"Really? Where is that?"  
"He's... much bigger. _Much _bigger. He lives on the North Mountain and we visit him when we can spare a day or two."  
"So, where exactly does he live? Does he spook climbers out?"  
Elsa chuckled at the thought, genuinely this time, at the thought. "No, he- he lives in a castle I built at the peak."  
"You... built a _castle?!_" Áno's eyes went wide with wonder as his hands fell to his sides. "That's amazing! How big is it? Large enough for a giant snowman, but how big?"  
Elsa smiled, unable to resist feeling a bit proud of herself. "It's very simplistic actually, but yes, I'd say it's as tall as Arendelle's castle, more or less."  
Áno mouthed the word "Wow", then composed himself. "I'd like to see that someday. What's the second snowman's name?"  
"Oh, we call him Marshmallow. Olaf named him."  
"So, he's the older brother?" Elsa blushed at the analogy and said nothing. Áno continued in a wistful tone. "I wish _I_ could create life."  
Elsa frowned. "You can't?"

Áno simply raised his hands and let magic flow from them. It began swirling around over a ring of grass before it began to build up. First, two pointed feet, that grew into two legs, joining at a waist that expanded into a torso. Two arms sprouted from its sides, followed by a head. Elsa watched in awe as the gentle flurry surrounding the being coated its surface, forming a breastplate, gauntlets, a helmet... a _sword_?

When the snow had fully vanished Elsa was staring at a perfectly formed soldier, as beautiful as her castle. "Áno," she breathed, "this is amazing! What's his name?"  
He gave her a sad smile. "_It_ doesn't have one. It doesn't do anything unless you tell it to: it doesn't talk, doesn't listen to idle conversation, won't save you unless you tell it to..." He shrugged. "And the only reason it doesn't look as horrendous as my usual _works of art_ is because I've spent years practicing and sketching this thing." As if to prove his point, he waved his hand again. A second flurry emerged from it, swirling around to form a stunted, spiky rock with 6 misshapen tendrils reaching out. "A companion for Copper." He explained.

Before Elsa could encourage him further, he sighed and waved his hand again. Both the soldier and fox unceremoniously exploded and he returned to failing to conjure a perfect sphere.

* * *

Áno always asked her whether she'd told Anna of his existence and she would always dodge the question. She was running out of excuses and she knew Áno was suspicious, though he was too polite to confront her over it. It certainly didn't help that the excuses were weak at best and pathetic at their worst. The problem, Elsa knew, was that she was ashamed of her childhood. If she told Anna and Áno about each other, they would demand that she introduce them (or, Anna would, while Áno would voice his approval of the idea). She eventually decided enough was enough and told Anna. She hadn't expected her to be quite so... jubilant though.

"Another person with your powers?" Asked Anna after her initial, deafening squeal.  
Elsa took her fingers from her ears and winced as she tested them. "Yes, that's what I _just said._ What, three times now?"  
Anna waved the complaint away, "Forget that. Elsa, wow! Isn't this just incredible! How long have you known him?"  
"We haven't really spent that much time together, but I'd say about a month?"  
"And would you say you know him quite well?"  
"Well, you can't spend time with someone without getting to know them, so yes?"

Anna literally jumped a few inches off the ground when she heard that. "Okay, then what's his last name?"  
"That's an odd question, but erm, he goes by the name Foreldreløs."  
Anna wrinkled her nose. "That's convenient."  
"It's not his real name."  
"You know what it is?"  
"Yes. I'll let him tell you himself."

"Fair enough. Next question! What's his favorite food?"  
"He told me he had very _simple_ tastes, but apples."

"Alright. What's his best friend's name?"  
"What does that have to do with anything?"  
"It's a test!"  
"What for?!"  
"Just tell me!"  
Elsa sighed, smiling despite herself. "Henrik. Or Copper, his pet fox, take your pick."  
"A pet fox?! Is it cute?"  
Elsa chuckled. "Very much so."

"Back to business. What's his eye color?"  
By now, Elsa had resigned herself to her sister's game. "Brown. Next?"

"And what's his foot size?"  
"Large."  
"What makes you say that?"

"He tripped over himself when we first met, so-" Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Wait. What are you getting at?"  
Anna blushed. "Just testing to see how well you know him. Now, do you like the way he picks his nose?"  
Elsa gagged at the thought and Anna rushed to make up for her slip.

"What about the way he eats? Do you have any problems with that?"  
When Elsa failed to answer, Anna decided she'd pushed her luck far enough.


End file.
